DJI’s latest power station is proof that good things come in small packages

As an avid mover, I have to carefully organize everything I carry in order to provide every square inch of storage space that I can support off-grid living for weeks at a time. That’s why I took the opportunity to review DJI’s latest power station.

the DJI Power 1000 Mini Almost half the size Original DJI Power 1000 It was released two years ago with the same 1 kWh battery capacity. By my calculations, it is also the smallest 1kWh power station from the major brands that money can buy today.

DJI’s little power station also has a few tricks up its sleeve, including a built-in retractable USB-C cable, a remote-controlled light, a built-in MPPT controller that turns it into a solar generator, and the option to fast-charge my truck’s generator when connected to the starter battery. The estate!

I found myself using the little DJI Power Station a lot more than I expected during my two months of testing, despite traveling with it Giant 8 kWh battery system. The Power 1000 Mini is so small that I don’t hesitate to grab it when I need to power up a projector for an outdoor movie night, run my Starlink Mini’s internet in a field, or turn on an air compressor to inflate my tires after leaving a sandy beach.

Priced at €579/£449, the Power 1000 Mini comes with a few trade-offs – the dongle, Ugh! – But I think DJI has struck an excellent balance between portability, versatility, and power.

Right now, it’s not clear whether it will be approved for sale in the United States because “a license application is still pending,” according to DJI spokesperson Daisy Kong.

Most people still think of DJI as a drone company, but the Chinese tech giant has branched out into several product categories, introducing real innovation. For example, incredibly small and powerful Avinox e-bike drive system It has been developed and has radically transformed what mountain bikers expect in terms of performance.

Likewise, the DJI Power 1000 Mini resets expectations about how big a 1 kWh power station should be. Just look at how they stack up against the competition.

Despite reducing the footprint, DJI hasn’t been able to do much with the weight, but most of that can be attributed to the industry settling on long-lasting LFP batteries.

Some of DJI’s space savings are the result of using a less powerful reflector. On paper, DJI says the Power 1000 Mini can produce a continuous AC output of 800 watts (1000 watts peak). That’s enough to power appliances like a small microwave or Instant Pot, but not a hair dryer set to max or power tools on the job site. For comparison, EcoFlow’s 1kWh Delta 2 and Anker’s Solix C1000 both provide 1,800 watts of continuous output.

In my testing, the Power 1000 Mini can power an 800-watt kettle and, surprisingly, even my Nespresso coffee machine, which can briefly draw up to 1,200 watts. But it cannot operate them simultaneously unless the power station is plugged into an AC wall socket. Its bypass mode then kicks in providing up to 2,200 watts of output for my 240V European model, which drops to 1,440 watts for the 120V American models.

Whenever you exceed the maximum, the Power 1000 Mini safely shuts down with an “Overload” message on the screen, and a more detailed error report in the DJI Home app. Cleared with a simple on/off toggle of the power terminal.

DJI’s power station also saves space by relying on an SDC (Smart DC) connector to add I/O to the unit. By connecting a variety of dongles, the SDC port can convert to a 12V barrel jack output or MC4 connector for up to 400W of solar panel input.

Uniquely, DJI also sells an SDC Power car battery charging cable that you can connect to your car’s starter battery to charge the Power 1000 Mini at up to 400 watts while you’re driving. That’s three times faster than charging your car’s 12V cigarette lighter socket, meaning you can take the Power 1000 Mini from empty to full in just over two hours of driving. I haven’t had a chance to test this.

Naturally, this DJI battery also offers several special SDC adapters that will charge your DJI drones faster than any other power station on the market. If you’re already interested in DJI gear, getting one of their power stations is a no-brainer.

One of the Power 1000 Mini’s best features is the built-in 100W USB-C cable that pulls with a tug and magnetically folds into place. I like that it is long enough to reach the table top when the power station is on the floor. I don’t like that, and the USB-C jack built into the unit, it doesn’t support 140W like DJI’s original Power 1000. Fortunately, both USB-C plugs are bi-directional, so they can also be used to charge the DJI’s small battery.

Power stations have had built-in lights forever, and they can come in very handy at the end of an all-day shoot when you’re trying to pack up. I like that I can operate it remotely from the app while still in bed. This way I can light the truck enough for caving late at night while my wife is asleep.

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting a 1kWh battery to be so useful while traveling around southern Europe over the past few weeks. I’ve used several power stations with similar specifications before, but their size didn’t make them an easy-to-use device, causing me to carry a smaller number of them, but Power banks are very capable instead of. DJI’s Power 1000 Mini changes the equation for me and anyone else who values ​​portability and adaptability over raw power.

Photography by Thomas Ricker/The Verge